Dubuque Your Hometown Program
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MEMORANDUM
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August 31,2004
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TO:
The Honorable Mayor and City Council Members
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FROM:
Michael C. Van Milligen, City Manager
SUBJECT: City Participation in "DUBUQUE: Your hometown. Your future."
In 1997, the Greater Dubuque Development Corporation (GDDC) launched "Come Back
to Your Future, Come Home to Dubuque" in an attempt to attract former residents back
to Dubuque to pursue career opportunities. After a few years, the GDDC turned the
program over to Woodward Communications.
Woodward Communications, in alliance with the GDDC, the Dubuque Area Chamber of
Commerce, and the Iowa Workforce Development (IWD) have recently announced an
new initiative "Dubuque: Your Hometown. Your Future." This initiative combines the
initial GDDC program with IWD and Woodward Communication programs so that all
Dubuque employment opportunities are available on a single user-friendly website.
The retention and attraction of a quality workforce are essential to the success of our
economic development efforts in Dubuque. In strategic planning sessions, the City
Council has recognized that a growing city is realized by "attracting young adults to live
here and raise their families here" and a strong balanced economy is possible with the
"retention and growth of current businesses, more jobs creating economic opportunity
for citizens, and attracting businesses to locate in Dubuque."
Economic Development Director Bill Baum recommends City Council support of
"Dubuque: Your hometown. Your future," including a commitment by the City to post its
jobs on the Woodward site AccessDubuqueJobs.com, and pledging $4,425 per year for
five years to the promotion campaign. These funds will be applied as a credit to the
cost of posting jobs on the site. The revenue source for the $22,125 is uncommitted
UDAG funds.
I concur with the recommendation and respectfully request Mayor and City Council
approval.
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Michaél C. Van Milligen .
MCVM/jh
Attachment
cc: Barry Lindahl, Corporation Counsel
Cindy Steinhauser, Assistant City Manager
William Baum, Economic Development Director
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MEMORANDUM
August31,2004
TO:
FROM:
Michael Van Milligen, City Manager
William Baum, Economic Development Director ~
SUBJECT: City participation in "DUBUQUE: Your hometown. Your future."
INTRODUCTION
The purpose of this memorandum is to request City of Dubuque participation in
Dubuque: Your Home Town. Your future.
BACKGROUND AND DISCUSSION
In 1997, the Greater Dubuque Development Corporation (GDDC) launched "Come Back
to Your Future, Come Home to Dubuque" in an attempt to attract former residents back
to Dubuque to pursue career opportunities. After a few years, the GDDC turned the
program over to Woodward Communications.
Woodward Communications, in alliance with the GDDC, the Dubuque Area Chamber of
Commerce, and the Iowa Workforce Development (IWD) have recently announced an
new initiative "Dubuque: Your Hometown. Your Future." This initiative combines the
initial GDDC program with IWD and Woodward Communication programs so that all
Dubuque employment opportunities are available on a single user-friendly website.
The retention and attraction of a quality workforce are essential to the success of our
economic development efforts in Dubuque. In strategic planning sessions, the City
Council has recognized that a growing city is realized by "attracting young adults to live
here and raise their families here" and a strong balanced economy is possible with the
"retention and growth of current businesses, more jobs creating economic opportunity
for citizens, and attracting businesses to locate in Dubuque."
Attached is a letter from Rick Dickinson, Director of GDDC explaining the new program
in more depth. Two requests are being made that require City action. All job openings
at the City are requested to be posted on the Woodward job site, and the City is
requested to make a financial contribution to this new campaign in the amount of $4,425
per year for five years.
RECOMMENDATION
I recommend the City Council adopt the enclosed resolution supporting "Dubuque: Your
hometown. Your future." The resolution commits the City to post its jobs on the
Woodward site AccessDubuqueJobs.com, and pledges $4,425 per year to the
promotion campaign. These funds are applied as a credit to the cost of posting jobs on
the site. The revenue source for the $22,125 is uncommitted "UDAG" account funds.
F:\USERSIWBaumIGen EDlMemo on Dubuque Your Home Town.doc
RESOLUTION NO. 337-04
A RESOLUTION SUPPORTING THE "DUBUQUE: YOUR HOMETOWN. YOUR
FUTURE." INITIATIVE AND PLEDGING $4,425 PER YEAR FOR FIVE YEARS TO
THE PROMOTION OF THE PROGRAM
Whereas, the Greater Dubuque Development Corporation, the Dubuque Area
Chamber of Commerce, the Iowa Department of Workforce Development have
launched "DUBUQUE, Your Hometown, Your Future", and
Whereas, this initiative will assist in attracting former Dubuque residents to jobs
in Dubuque and provide all job seekers with a single user friendly site, and
Whereas, Workforce Development is a critical part of the City's Economic
Development efforts;
NOW, THEREFORE BE IT RESOLVED BY THE CITY COUNCIL OF DUBUQUE,
IOWA:
1. The City of Dubuque hereby supports and endorses the "DUBUQUE, Your
Hometown. Your Future" initiative.
2. The City of Dubuque pledges $4,425 per year to the initiative for a period of five
years.
3. The City Manager is hereby directed to post all job openings of the City of
Dubuque on the web site used in the initiative: AccessDubuqueJobs.com.
Passed and approved this 7th day of September, 2004.
Terrance M. Duggan, Mayor
Attest:
Jeanne F. Schneider, City Clerk
F:IUSERSIWBaum\Gen EDIRESOLUTION approving the DubuqueYourHometown.doc
August 19,2004
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GreaterDubuque
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Mr. Mike Van Milligen
City Manager
City of Dubuque
50 W. 13th Street
Dubuque, Iowa 52001
Dear Mike:
The success of the "Come Back to Your Future. Come Home to Dubuque" campaign launched in 1997,
proved that many former residents longed to return to their hometown for the right career opportunity.
Today, sadly, there is no single resource for locating that career opportunity. And even if there was, no
one is promoting it. We need to change. With the City of Dubuque's help, we wilL
On September 1,2004, Greater Dubuque Development, in alliance with Woodward Communications, the
Dubuque Area Chamber of Commerce, and the Iowa Department of Workforce Development, will launch
"DUBUQUE: Your hometown. Your fUture." The goal of this initiative is to provide all Dubuque area
employment opportunities on a single, user-friendly website. Equally important however, is the
promotion of the site and the opportunity it holds for the tens-of-thousands former Dubuquers that have
left our area over the last few decades. Further, the website will be introduced to the areas of the Midwest
that have been hit hard by plant closures and lay-offs.
To this end, Woodward Communications has agreed to host a new jobs website,
AccessDubuqueJobs.com, that is user friendly to both the applicant and the employer. Further,
Woodward has agreed to provide a dollar-for-dollar credit to those employers that make a five-year
financial commitment to this campaign. Employers can apply this credit to the cost of posting jobs on the
site.
We ask two things of the City of Dubuque: First, we request that all job openings at the City be posted on
AccessDubuqueJobs.com. Second, we ask that the City make a five-year pledge to the promotion
campaign of $4,425 per year.
We believe that with the help of all employers in the Greater Dubuque area, we can brand the tri-states as
a region of opportunity. We look forward to your favorable response.
ðIl ¡J Þ.
Rick DiC~
Director
ph"," 563 557 9049
300 M," 5<"". Sel" 120. Oeh"". '"w, 52001
to' 563.557.1059
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